Ways to Explore

Flipflops, u-turns, changes of heart, about faces. Completely changing our position — sometimes it can be our best move, sometimes it can be our worst. Either way, it's usually complicated. This week we bring you stories of people who go one way, and then, for what ever reason, turn around and go the exact opposite direction.

Correction: In the original broadcast of this episode, Joe Richman in Act One incorrectly stated that Nathan Bedford Forrest was the founder of the Ku Klux Klan. The audio and transcript have been changed to reflect that Forrest was the first Grand Wizard of the Ku Klux Klan, not the founder. We apologize for the error.

Chana Joffe-Walt tells the story of a teenager named Michael. Like a lot of teenagers Michael
decides to follow his dreams — and that to follow his dreams, he’s going to need to make a total
change. He does that. And then, like so many of us when we’re teenagers, Michael decides after a
lot of trouble, that it was all a big mistake. He need to reverse his reversal. A double 180. That’s when things get complicated.
(11 minutes)Education • Teenagers